Public Health Ethics

Catalog description

This course provides a comprehensive examination of ethical principles and legal frameworks governing population health initiatives, policy development, professional practice, and research methodologies. The curriculum includes a foundational overview of critical concepts and precedential cases in Public Health Law, establishing the theoretical and practical foundations necessary for ethical decision-making in public health contexts. Public health interventions, by their inherent focus on community-wide outcomes rather than individual patient care, present unique ethical challenges that diverge significantly from those addressed within traditional medical ethics, bioethics, and clinical ethics paradigms. The course addresses the fundamental tension between individual rights and collective health benefits, exploring the critical question: What constitutes an appropriate balance between protecting individual liberties and advancing population health outcomes?